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Occupational therapy at a Wiltshire hospital is set to benefit thanks to a fundraising campaign to create a specially designed rehabilitation garden.
The Southern Spinal Injuries Trust (SSIT) is raising money for a space to be used by the Duke of Cornwall Spinal Treatment Centre at Salisbury District Hospital.
The Jubilee Garden appeal has set a target of £100,000 to assist in the treatment of patients at the centre, who spend an average of nine months being rehabilitated at the centre.
The garden will be specially adapted for wheelchair access and patients to cultivate herbs and vegetables in raised beds, plus provide a relaxing and pleasant environment outside of the medical centre where they can spend time with friends and family.
Speaking about the planned garden, SSIT trustee and consultant spinal surgeon David Chapple said he believed it would be an important asset for the centre and a valuable resource for patients.
“We hope that the Jubilee Garden will become a place of sanctuary for patients during their long stay at the Unit and will also serve to help them develop new skills.”
“People with spinal cord injury experience a dramatic change in the way their time is spent. Hobbies, such as gardening, will be an integral part of their rehabilitation process. The ultimate aim of this project is to stimulate a life long interest in gardening which will continue to grow after leaving the unit.”
The Jubilee Garden will be sited next to the Treatment Centre for easy patient and staff access. It is hoped that produce grown in the garden can be used as part of the occupational therapy programme in cookery courses run by the centre.
“[It] is an exciting, worthwhile development for both social and therapeutic reasons, and we are grateful to SSIT for their ongoing support and help with this project,” commented Matthew Kershaw, chief executive of Salisbury NHS Foundation Trust.
